When Jay Garrick arrived on The Flash, he brought with him both knowledge of a strange new world, and an imminent threat. As we learn more and more about Earth-2's Flash and his struggle with Zoom the speed demon, I'm starting to wonder how the two of them are connected. What if Earth-1's Jay Garrick is Zoom on The Flash ?
It may be a while before we discover the face behind the mask, but that doesn't mean it's too soon to start guessing. The fact that we haven't met, or even really discussed, the possibility or the whereabouts of an Earth-1 Jay Garrick and/or an Earth-2 Barry Allen is suspicious. I know one popular theory is that Zoom is that other Barry Allen, and I think that's a very good guess, but what if it was something flipped inside out? The suit is clearly meant to incorporate both Barry Allen's Earth-1 suit and Jay Garrick's Earth-2 helmet. I think that is deliberate. We could overanalyze Zoom's stature, the shape of his head, and his eyes — but none of the most likely candidates quite have Zoom's hazel eyes. (Yes, I just did that Google Image search for you. You are welcome.)
What if Jay Garrick from our world was somehow transported to Earth-2, discovered that there was a hero there that had his face, and just basically dealt with it in all the wrong ways. He became a villain. Everyone on Earth-2 thinks that Zoom is bound on becoming the only speedster in every universe, but what if he's simply set out to be the only Jay Garrick. The only thing that doesn't add up here is Harrison Wells' insistence that he, like, invented Zoom, you know what I mean? He feels responsible for his creation.
However, that could be interpreted in a lot of ways — it could be as simple as an assumption that the Earth-2 doctor made because Zoom is, or appears to be, a metahuman like all the others that Wells created. Perhaps Harrison Wells brought the additional Jay Garrick over to Earth-2 for an experiment, he flipped out, and thus Zoom's origin story began.
All in all, Zoom is almost certainly a doppleganger of somebody we know right? Otherwise, what is the narrative purpose of the mask? Whether it's Harrison Wells, Eobard Thawne, Eddie Thawne, Joe West, or even Barry's father Henry Allen, the one thing I am certain of about Season 2's mysterious Big Bad is that Zoom is someone who already recognize on The Flash.
Images: Dean Buscher/The CW; Giphy
